Mark Meltzer Writings: Days 131-137
Journal, "Aboard the S.S. Nellie Bly" ABOARD THE S.S. NELLIE BLY Groggy and red-eyed - didn't get much sleep last night - too eager to see us ship out this A.M. A distinct chill in the air and mist clinging to the water - dicey getting through the choppy waves and the packed dock, but Capt. Ferrence is an old pro at this (worked as a maritime pilot in Hong Kong, he claims). Knew I should be working on cracking the riddle of the next layer of the puzzle - but distracted by the sights & sounds of the ship. The Nellie Bly was one of the WWII Liberty Ships,Liberty Ship on Wikipedia it seems - one of the few to see action. (Chief Mate pointed out the rusted moorings that used to hold the guns - and the faded swastikas on the stacks, marking her "kills"!) The crew is, by & large a quieter type than I expected... and surprisingly bookish. 2nd Mate advises me that reading is, by necessity, one of the few amusements available. Most of the crew trade pulp & pop literature. But the Captain is a different matter - his cabin is well stocked with Greek Classics, literature (Hesse,Herman Hesse, author; on Wikipedia MachenArthur Machen, welsh fantasy author; on Wikipedia), philosophy (Nietzsche,Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher; on Wikipedia Schoepenhauer!Arthur Schopenhauer, german philosopher; on Wikipedia. (Mark misspelled the name in his note.))& psychology (Wm. James,William James, American psychologist; on Wikipedia Carl JungCarl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist; on Wikipedia). An elusive character - I'm left wondering exactly how & why Capt. Ferrence became a friend of Phil Isidore. He's not the paranoid crank or drunken lout I half-expected. GOT TO WORK ON PUZZLE BOX LATE - NEED "FROZEN TRIANGLE" BOOK FOR CLUES. DON'T TELL ME I LEFT IT BEHIND??? IN MONTAUK OR AT PHIL'S PLACE IN BALTIMORE?? MUST RADIO PHIL FIRST THING!!! Journal, "First Dinner with Capt. Ferrence" FIRST DINNER WITH CAPT. FERRENCE The Captain was a mystery the first few days of the voyage... brusque, intense. Hints of mercurial intelligence flickering behind that leathery, mask-like face. I wondered what possible connection there could ever be between this man of the world and someone like Phil Isidore. Tonight, I found out. Dinner, just the two of us, in my private cabin. Not a drop of wine or liquor... Capt. Ferrence seems to be a teetotaler. But the conversation itself was weirdly intoxicating. Ferrence hinted he knew more about my quest than I did. he forced upon me a volume of Jung's psychologi- cal writing - Vol. XX - and pointed out an essay on "Flying Saucers!""Flying Saucers : A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies" by Carl Jung, Amazon.com In his weird swirl of words, grounded by that gruff New England accent - he hinted that my "aquatic anomalies" are some kind of vision - comparing them not only to U.F.O. sightings, but to encounters with ghosts, fairies, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. I admit it got my dander up. I asked him if he thinks I dreamed up everything I've encountered. "It's not you that's dreaming, lad," he said. "It's the world." Taped part of the conversation. Not sure what to make of this character! Letter to Phil Isidore :::::Mark G. Meltzer :::::P.O. Box 4668 #32890 :::::New York, N.Y. 10163 Phil Isidore c/o N.U.F.O.S. Baltimore, Md. Phil: Just wanted to thank you again - your contacts in the Southeast really came through and got me the info I needed. Only problem? I'm stuck again - though I suspect the info I need is in The Frozen Triangle. Here's hoping my copy of the book is safe with the mail you forwarded from my New York P.O. Box. If everything works out, I'll be picking up the packet tomorrow at our scheduled stop in Nassau. Not sure exactly what Capt. Ferrence is loading in there.... As a freelance cargo freighter, he books as much of his hold as possible and picks up additional cargo on his own dime while he travels, hoping to unload it in Europe. Beautiful blue waters - dolphins bobbing in the surf. If it wasn't for the grimness of my mission, I'd be enjoying this little cruise. :::::::::::::Yours, ::::::::::::Mark Meltzer :::::::::::::- Mark Meltzer Journal, "Off the Island of Andros" OFF THE ISLAND OF ANDROS Killing time.... waiting for the answer I need to crack the next layer of the box... I sorted through the mail from one of my correspondents. Thought I'd discovered every kooky theory around - but had not encountered A.U.T.E.C.A.U.T.E.C. on Wikipedia before! Capt. Ferrence has been acting cagey since Nassau - making sure the hold is under lock and key. (The Chief Mate, a rough and tumble sort with an endless floating craps game in the mess hall, has been in a foul mood. Scuttlebutt hints he wasn't happy about the Bahamas stop for one reason or another.) Happened to mention AUTEC to the Capt. He took it upon himself to veer closer to Andros, where Naval project is allegedly based. Hoping to see "UAOs" (Unidentified Aquatic Objects) or whatever the conspiracy buffs called them. We didn't see anything - except a low flyover by an A4C Skyhawk!A-4 Skyhawk on Wikipedia Buzzed us until we left the waters. All in all, an ominous side-trip. Ferrence not quite as stable as I thought? References See also *Mark Meltzer *There's Something in the Sea Category:Mark Meltzer Writings Category:Pages with written transcripts